20 Best Travel Backpacks in 2022

Travel days are stressful enough without lugging around a suitcase that you’re constantly tripping over. In the chaos of running to catch a train or trying to fit your carry-on into a crowded overhead bin on an airplane, the last thing you want to do is regret your travel companion: your luggage. Luckily, the best travel backpacks can hold all of your vacation essentials without the bulk or square footage of a suitcase.

Whether you’re flying across an ocean, taking a scenic road trip, or just heading to a friend’s for the weekend, ditching your clunky suitcase or duffel and finding the perfect travel backpack is sure to make your life easier. Carrying it on your back allows you to move more freely, and many feature different compartments for your laptop, water bottle, and other essentials making it easier than ever to keep track of everything. (The right pick could even double as a gym bag.) With so many durable, weather-proof, and anti-theft options on the market, the possibilities are endless.

We’ve scoured the internet to find top-rated picks for the best travel backpacks, so you can navigate your next trip with ease, hands free.

How we chose the best travel backpacks

We combed through thousands of customer reviews and tested a few options ourselves to bring you the most effective and highest-rated travel backpacks available. Each backpack we didn’t try ourselves had close to five stars and more than 1,000 reviews.

Our top picks